


Violet Gossamer

by Magistrate_Lemon



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ashe loses a limb, Bisexual Male Character, Body Horror, Breeding, Comfort, Driders, Dubious Consent, Egg Laying, Eggpreg, Established Relationship, F/M, Feral Behavior, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Gangbang, Gay Male Character, Harems, Hurt/Comfort, Intersex, Interspecies Sex, Language of Flowers, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Minor Corruption, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Oviposition, Porn With Plot, Pregnancy, Recovery, Spiders, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Threesome - F/M/M, Threesome - M/M/M, Transformation, Weird Biology, Wet Dream, don't expect high quality writing, i wrote this as a monster fucker, it may be sad and depressing, it's wholesome later i swear, no beta we die like Glenn, now this mess happened, specific chapters will have specific sex related tags, then i put in eggs, then plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:06:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22871458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magistrate_Lemon/pseuds/Magistrate_Lemon
Summary: It was a simple mission at first, take out the bandits at the Brionac Plateau and that was it. It goes pretty well and the Blue Lions prepare themselves for the trip home.Except Ashe was missing.Ashe was dead.Then Ashe isn't actually dead.Now Dedue has to deal with the fact that, the boy he adores is no longer the same, less human mentally and wielding eight spidery legs. And with the temptations of similar monsters and monastery life, the challenges he faces become that much more difficult, especially when Ashe just happens to have some unique quirks and  breeding habits... Which he shamefully admits might be into.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Dedue Molinaro, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Original Male Character(s), Dedue Molinaro/Original Male Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	1. Flowers of Loss.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually not sure where I'm going with this. I just wanted to satisfy my egg and spider kinks with 3 House's characters and get back into writing.
> 
> This does have story tho and will have multiple chapters. 
> 
> Will start pre-skip.
> 
> Sylvain's 'Boyfriends for Dummies' book never covered the shit Dedue's about to get into that's for sure and Dedue's probably going to get kink enabled to the point of turning into a tomato by Sylvain at this rate.

It was a simple mission today.

Another training mission assigned by their teacher, sending them to the Brionac Plateau where they once sparred against the Knights of Seiros a few months back and where each student started to find their rhythm for their battle techniques and each other. This time instead of sparring with knights, they were brawling with bandits.

Dedue struck down a mage with his axe just before the incantation finished, leaving a wisp of smoke behind and Dimitri safe from any fireballs just as the prince finished off the last ruffian of the battalion. After the last ruffian finally fell, Dimitri could feel himself relax even with his grip strong. Wet mud and soil clung to his metal greaves and the air felt quite humid, the humidity clinging to his skin like sweat and caused his clothes to stick to his skin. The sensations were awful.

Even so, he still attempted to hide his discomfort from Dedue. Distractions weren't needed after all.

However, even if he tried to hide his discomfort, Dimitri was becoming more aware that Dedue seemed distracted himself. It wasn't noticeable at first, Dedue performed as excellent as always with interception and counter-attacks, rushing in to defend the more physically weaker students from larger threats and even saving Ashe from a near-fatal blow to the head from an axe swing.

In fact... That was probably the first time he even noticed Dedue's absentmindedness was when he saved Ashe. The archer thanked him with a happy smile on his face, pointing to his face and saying something to the suddenly flustered Dedue before leaving to join back with his group. Dimitri couldn't help but ask when Dedue returned.

"Are you alright? You are not usually this distracted."

"Yes, Your Highness." He even had his own smile on his face, soft and relaxed. "Ashe offered to help with cooking duties today. He's been eager since this morning and it had rubbed off on me."

And those violets they planted would be in bloom soon. Those were Ashe's favourite flowers and both of them have been excited to see their progress.

"Oh?" If Dimitri remembered correctly, didn't a new shipment of ingredients come in that was needed for Duscurian cuisine? "I'm not too surprised. You and Ashe have been quite close recently, it is nice to see you like this Dedue. I don't think I've seen you look this happy in quite a while."

"I'm always happy to serve you."

"No, I mean..." He bit his lip, trying to consider his words. "You always looked so... Calm. It reminds me of when your gardening or even cooking with Mercedes or teaching Flayn the basics, but it's so much more radiant than I've ever seen you."

"Is it?"

"It's not a bad thing Dedue. I'm happy that you've made friends here."

"...I see."

They both stayed silent for a moment as if waiting for the other to speak up from the silence. No one attacked them, and it gave them time to recover.

"...Ashe is-" He paused. "Your Highness. May I ask for advice?"

"Oh. Of course! What do you need?"

"I must tell you the truth. I have been courting Ashe for the past month and he has been reciprocating my advances." He tried to ignore the smile on Dimitri's face, he really did. Even more so when he tried to ignore his own face warming up. "However I feel as if it's still inadequate."

"Dedue... I'm no expert in courting or have even dabbled in any form of a romantic relationship. However, even a blind person can tell that Ashe appreciates you and will be happy regardless of what you give him. He's a kind soul and perhaps the most earnest of the Blue Lions. I believe if you just follow what your heart wants, your courting will pay off." His smile adopted into a smirk. "I'd be happy to support your marriage when the time comes."

"Y-Your Highness."

"My apologies," Dimitri chucked at Dedue's blush. "I don't mean to tease. But please know that I will support your efforts and wish you and Ashe a happy future together."

"...Thank you."

And the conversation ended, with smiles on their faces.

A fireball was fired into the sky in the distance, followed by another dispersing into a wisp of smoke before it faded into nothing. Seeing the signal, both prince and retainer quickly headed off towards the direction of the fireball, where they knew their professor was waiting.

The mission was over, it was time to finally leave.

* * *

"Ashe, ASHE!"

The mission was over, it was time to finally leave.

That was all of their first thoughts when they all met up in the clearing with their professor waiting for them all to arrive. The first to arrive was Ingrid and her pegasus, both were unscathed and both had made an excellent scouting team. Then it was Dimitri and Dedue, who had strong teamwork and seemed to compliment each other well. Felix and Annette quickly follow with some bruises on the girl and the Fraldarius seemed irritated and unusually flustered even as Annette kept apologising about something involving 'feet and hammers'. And finally in came Sylvain and Mercedes, engaged in conversation with smiles on their faces and blood staining their robes and armour. Everyone was now finally here. And now Byleth could take notes and how each needs to improve, criticise performance and congratulate them all on a job well done-

"Where's Ashe?"

Except. Everyone wasn't here.

Ashe was missing.

At first, they weren't too concerned. Scouts had reported that all of the bandits were all eliminated and no other reinforcements were even near, so it just seemed as if Ashe was running late. Not much of a problem.

But despite the mental reinsurance.

Despite the seconds that became minutes that passed.

Ashe still didn't return.

They wasted no time after that. Ingrid took to the skies before Byleth even gave the orders and the rest of them once again split up to find their missing classmate. Ashe was, despite not being the most powerful in their class, strong, he could easily take care of himself against a bandit or two with his bow skills or, if he was facing something dangerous, could outrun them. He was extremely dexterous, they all knew he was strong.

Dedue held onto that hope.

Because Ashe was a strong and bright individual, and Dedue loved everything about him. Ever since he came to the academy he found himself drifting from Dimitri's side, the young prince enjoyed the company of others and even Dedue couldn't help himself in the end whenever he would be dragged off by Ashe to practise their cooking or by Mercedes and her insistence to learn of his culture.

"Ashe!"

He started to value everyone here. He couldn't stop himself from watching over them like he did Dimitri.

Even if he was of Duscur, they all cared for him and each other.

Even Felix, despite his own words reminding him that Felix was Dimitri's friend despite his sharp tongue and rather rude nature.

And Ashe... Ashe adored him. He could feel that adoration from his heart, how warm his hands were, the happiness in his voice when they cooked and when they would embrace each other-

No.

He couldn't lose anyone.

He wouldn't allow it.

Not even for His Highness's sake, but for the entire class. He wouldn't lose hope.

He wouldn't lose hope.

* * *

"I-I'm so sorry everyone."

They all stayed silent.

Byleth quietly apologised again.

The atmosphere choked them all, the air felt like it was turning into cold steel around them uncaring about how they felt even as the frozen rains above battered at their cloaks or even as Byleth looked even more miserable than the rest, gripping his own legs like his life depended on it. Dimitri tried to reassure him in his silence, however, his own mood wouldn't allow it. He just looked at his classmates just as miserably. He didn't know what to do.

Sylvain didn't try and make any jokes.

Ingrid looked ashamed.

Annette hung close to Mercedes, for comfort and perhaps more shelter from the rain.

And at the end were Felix and Dedue, the former hanging close to the back out of sight watching the floor and hiding his face from sight, and the latter mournfully walking with a lonely expression on his face and a bloodied bundle in his arms, held close and tight as if he was afraid it would slip away any moment. Dimitri admired the strength everyone here had.

"I should have stayed with him," Ingrid muttered. "I shouldn't have left him behind."

"It wasn't your fault Ingrid." Byleth breathed out shakily. "It was no one's fault."

They were all prepared for situations like this.

They all should have been prepared.

They all mentally steeled themselves for each time they left for a mission, that one day, one of them would be killed. They would lose a friend, a comrade, a potential lover even and they would have to move on with one empty seat that once held someone they held close. It came with the life they decided to follow and they all knew that, some more than anyone else.

They just wished they had more than a severed arm and a broken bow to come home with.

* * *

Weeks passed.

Things were slightly better.

When they came back to the Monastery, the sights of the fortress did little to up their mood. People around them offered their prayers and wishes and Rhea allowed them all a week to mourn and pay respects to their friend. Dedue locked himself away in the greenhouse that week. (Dimitri never had the cruelty to stop him, Dedue always had permission)

People from the Black Eagles and Golden Deer offered their respects too. Gifts of flowers, books and sugary treats, all gifts that Ashe adored, were placed on his grave, decorated with swaths of violets and white and purple hyacinth and was perhaps the most loved of all in the graveyard. His glowed with radiance and love and they all hoped that Ashe would feel their love from the heavens.

"Lorenz gave me these special seeds to plant." Dedue quietly explained to Dimitri one day while visiting Ashe. His gaze fell onto the violets and his chest ached. "He said they were Gloucester Roses and that I would make them even more beautiful than the originals... Because Ashe deserves such beauty to take with him."

"Dedue..."

"I need to thank him."

That Lorenz was, while filled with pride and seemingly pretentious at times, they knew that Lorenz had a kind heart.

The rest of the visit was in silence and for a moment, Dimitri wondered what the Duscurians did to their loved ones when they died.

He'd have to ask.

Later that day, just before they both went to their quarters, Dedue spotted Byleth talking to a group of soldiers in hushed whispers.

He briefly wondered if they were all prepared to face Miklan.

And if they could bear losing another companion.

(No one told his siblings yet, they weren't ready for the pain.)

* * *

The fight against Miklan was perhaps, their most challenging yet. The bandits knew how to strategise and pinpoint roughly each of their strengths and weaknesses and were swift in their actions. If Gilbert wasn't there, Annette would have been killed from the demonic beast that Miklan became and they would all deal with the aftermath of losing someone else once more.

They were lucky this time.

So very, very lucky.

And just like before, each one of them were prepared to live out the month until the final week, where another mission from Lady Rhea would be given and it would be another day of staying close and fighting against monsters or even bandits, and once more pay their respects at Ashe's grave and leave a beautiful display once more. This time Dedue spotted Caspar seemingly praying in front of the grave, a white and grey cat next to him with a fresh catch in its mouth which it dropped into a bowl on the grave.

Oh...

He remembered that those two (or he guessed three if he included the cat) were friends.

"Hey, Dedue." Caspar's cheeks were red and wet, his smile sad. "More flowers?"

Pink and white roses. Gardenia. Purple hyacinth. Lorenz had provided the rose seeds (of course) whilst Leonie provided the gardenias. The last one was hard to find the seeds for but Felix had some on him. Told him to shut up and take them, since he was the gardening expert.

He nodded, and nothing more was said.

This month would hopefully be a more calm one, one where hopefully, nothing bad would happen and no one here would suffer.

Except Flayn went missing and things started going downhill.

Seteth was absolutely beside himself.

And curious rumours about a reaper was spewing again.

As well as reports of shadowy figures stealing away people and animals in the night, all inhuman in shape, all led by a monster the shape of a spider.

* * *

Halfway through the month, Byleth went out with a battalion of soldiers without much warning or notice, leaving behind a note for Dimitri that Jeralt would temporarily take over classes until they came back and wished them the best of luck regarding Flayn.

Dimitri did try and ask beforehand if Jeralt knew where he was going, however, the mercenary turned captain didn't know either, only that something has apparently happened that required their immediate attention and that they would be gone for a short while.

"I wouldn't worry about it. The kiddo's strong and knows his limits, he'll be back soon." He just shrugged, clearly having enough confidence in his son. "The Gatekeeper might have more details, Byleth mentioned that he mentioned something interesting."

"I see..."

The Gatekeeper... Apparently Byleth had a soft spot for that man, something about his eagerness and his determination appealed to the professor. Dimitri couldn't stop that pang of jealousy from rising from his stomach and the slight scowl that appeared on his face when he saw the Gatekeeper himself and wasn't able to hide it in time before he saw him. However, it seemed as if he never noticed.

He shouldn't be angry at the Gatekeeper. He had done nothing wrong.

"Ah, Your Highness!" The Gatekeeper saluted. "Nothing to report, well, is what I would say but I'm guessing you're asking about the professor's whereabouts, right?" At Dimitri's quiet nod, he happily continued. "Well, I'm not one hundred percent certain of the details either, but he left for an expedition to the Brionac Plateau."

That certainly got Dimitri's attention.

"Why there?"

Surely their professor wasn't trying to find Ashe's remains, was he?

"You know of the strange rumours right? The ones about strange people who have been kidnapping people in town and stealing livestock?" He clarified. "Apparently the professor found out that they were coming from that area and wanted to put a stop to it."

"If they were from the Brionac Plateau, why would they be all the way out here?"

"Not sure. It would make sense if they raided the villages nearby, but they come here instead. I wonder if there's a reason for it... Regardless, I'll keep an eye out for any strangers that may try and infiltrate the monastery, I can do that no problem!"

"Was there anything else?"

"Ah well... It's about these mystery kidnapper's themselves. You know how the reports say they're 'inhuman' in shape and are led by a spider?" He looked around at first, almost as making sure no one else would hear. "Well, I didn't believe that they were monsters at first, but I actually saw them two nights ago! Well- I could see their shadows anyway, and while I'm not sure that if they are just wearing strange armour, the leader was definitely a spider! Or... A half spider anyway."

"Half spider?"

"The upper half of a human, the lower half of a spider, something I had never seen before. That's what I could see anyway and I know it wasn't a trick of the eyes." He grinned. "I don't know more than that, maybe the library would have something on them but I doubt that. Most of the books that aren't about the Church are inspected by Seteth constantly and if it did exist, it might have been destroyed... Unless Abyss has something on them. They always have more interesting books- Er, don't tell anyone I said that!"

Abyss...

He hadn't asked Yuri or any of the Ashen Wolves about the situation, they might have the answers he wanted though.

But he couldn't get his hopes up.

* * *

It was almost the end of the month and Byleth still hadn't returned, however, Rhea told them that they would be back soon and they believed her. They just wished that he would be back sooner, back from whatever he was doing.

They didn't want to lose their teacher too.

Everyone patiently waited for his return from the expedition and planned to greet his return with open arms. Mercedes and Annette wanted to bake treats (Byleth had such a big sweet tooth) and wanted everyone to get on with the excitement, even if Annette had to drag Felix from the training grounds herself, they refused to let anyone skip out on a team-building event.

Of course, if they found Flayn first.

It's been nearly a month and she still wasn't found and Seteth looked like he was on the edge of his sanity, his eyes suggesting that he hadn't slept in days. He looked and most likely felt horrible.

Perhaps they could make Flayn something special as well when she was found, apparently, she was an avid lover of fish and if Dedue had the time he could cook her a special fish dinner.

That would be fun, Mercedes thought, she could probably make something to offer Ashe next time she visited the graveyard. She knew he would love it. Maybe they could all team up and surprise Seteth as well? As long as nothing happened, she was sure she could-

"Everyone!"

She didn't even get to finish that thought before Dimitri burst through the heavy wooden doors with a reddened face and his lance at the ready.

"It's Flayn, we found Flayn but the Death Knight has her!"

* * *

The monastery was indeed a massive area, not just consisting of the building and Abyss itself, but also strange passages that seemed to lead to nowhere and everywhere, untouched for goddess knows how long. However, for whatever reason, the Death Knight already knew about such passages and used it to his advantage to kidnap Flayn and apparently Monica without garnering suspicion until now.

Dimitri was fascinated. Monica had been missing for a year and had been stowed away inside the academy for almost a year now without anyone even knowing she had even been kidnapped. But she was fine now, a little cheerful oddly, but Dimitri wouldn't doubt for a second if she was hiding her true emotions. It must have been traumatising for her, being trapped for so long.

Hopefully, she would recover soon.

Now, he had to wait for the professor to return.

They had just received word that he was finally returning later tomorrow and lessons would return to normal. Dimitri could feel himself become excited at the news, but his curiosity still remained even now. He knew that Byleth was searching for this mysterious spider, however, he just wanted to know why he thought it was at the plateau of all places.

Was there something else that he needed to see?

Surely he wasn't there because of Ashe... Right?

If he was... Was using the spiders as an excuse to try and find his remains? They sent so long finding the rest of his body but no matter how much they searched, they couldn't even find anything beyond the arm and bow that was buried. Byleth must have felt guilty, irresponsible as a teacher that he couldn't even give a proper burial. They all missed Ashe dearly, but surely Byleth knew that he should never shoulder the responsibility alone.

He would ask if he returned.

But if he returned with a face filled with sorrow, Dimitri knew he had to hold his tongue. Or risk biting it off if he grew too intrusive.

* * *

_"N-Nghh!"_

_It was so warm in the darkness. And the smell of sex and flowers filled his nose._

_"Good boy, good boy."_

_He couldn't move or escape if he wanted too, the bindings held him down and the salty-sweet tasting fluids in his mouth was too good to pass out. They cradled and stroked his head lovingly, whispering sweet murmurs into his ears and grooming through his hair with their four-fingered claws. They made him feel like he belonged. Made him feel at home. His worries and desires to defend His Highness melted away further and further as they preened and cooed, almost chuckling when a deep moan escaped him as he could feel something prehensile and slimy slide past his rim._

_It was once a strange, foreign feeling. Now it was welcome, especially how it stretched him further apart and how focused and careful the movements were, purposely making sure he had pleasure from the act. The hands in his hair gently tugged him forwards, cooing at him and asking for his mouth to open with politeness and he couldn't ignore such a sweet request and the sweet reward that awaited him. His lover smiled with those blue eyes and pushed his phallus past his lips and rested on his tongue, waiting for permission to continue._

_They never tried to force him._

_They always stopped if he was uncomfortable._

_They were so sweet._

_"You're doing so well," Even now they were gentle with their administrations, thrusting into his mouth not too far and not too harsh and leaving trails of salty white pre behind after each careful thrust. "You're bigger than most humans and I can tell your ready... Are you ready-"_

_He whimpered. The pleasure from below deafening him and tugged at the nerves in his stomach as the appendage dug in deeper. A hiss, followed by a swift apology and the pleasure tragically resided. He could hear again._

_"Are you ready for her clutch sweetie?" Gentle reassurance. "It might be uncomfortable, especially for the first time. But euphoria will remain, for the addiction of wanting to please will be overwhelming. And... I won't lie, you would look glorious gravid like that."_

_No hesitation._

_"O-Oh!" His fingers finally found purchase, pushing further in and began to massage the lover's incredibly sensitive prostate. If he had pupils, all of those eight eyes would be rolling into the back of his head now. "F-Fuck that's good. Spread your legs, I want to see every bit of this."_

_He obeyed._

_Soft chittering. He could feel her- his, presence hovering over him. Eight green, very human eyes looked down on him with adoration, hidden behind his silver hair with freckled cheeks red with arousal and want. Something slimy long and hard prodded his behind and his lovers quietly urged both of them on, whispers and touches of encouragement._

_He could feel it, the tip pushing inside. The strange coolness, the texture, the bloated base-_

He awoke with a start and a thudding heart.

Moonlight greeted him through his windows that barely illuminated the room and Dedue could feel his body, especially his face warm up from the events of his strange and rather erotic (no, that wasn't the word) dream. He wasn't immune to the rare wet dream, but he had never had one so lewd and confusing, one where he was so incredibly submissive to his mystery partners. He couldn't make out much of their features, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to remember such a dream.

But the sensations, the ghostly taste on his lips still lingered behind.

He licked his lips.

It wasn't right.

It didn't feel right to fantasize, especially now, especially so soon.

Pulling the blanket over him, he attempted to fall off to sleep once more-

...

However, the warmth, the sweatiness of his skin and an unfortunate sticky sensation in his sleepwear which he briefly forgot about made it impossible. In fact... He felt wide awake, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep if he tried. It still looked dark out and he wasn't sure if dawn was going to come anytime soon. The greenhouse would be locked so he couldn't tend to the plants, food was out of the option... He had some books from the library he never finished. If he could find his reading glasses and a fresh candle to light he could read until sleep finally took him or once the sun started to rise.

And... And after he got new underwear. Perhaps he could escape out in the morning to retrieve some warm water, make it quick so no one would notice the amount of white that coated his pants.

Yes.

That sounded good.

* * *

By the time the sun started to peek over the horizon, Byleth had already returned with his battalion all battered, but still alive and had promptly requested that all of the Blue Lions, now including Flayn and Caspar, to meet up with him in one of the other secret passages hidden near Abyss about after their meal. The seminar and classes were cancelled for the day and Dimitri once again found himself in the greenhouse alongside Dedue. They still had time before the meeting, and Dimitri wanted to see the flowers that Dedue had been growing.

And, when he took his first step inside, he could have sworn he entered the garden of the goddess itself.

Not a single spot went untouched by the sea of flowers, from the rocks and even up the stone pillars, all were covered in colours of lavender to gold to crimson and even azure. Yet despite all of the colours and unique flowers, the sight never disoriented him, and what should have been a series of different smells mixing into something abhorrent, somehow Dedue made it work. He could have sworn the plants were even glowing, but knowing how dedicated he Dedue could be, he wouldn't be surprised if the plants were truly showing their radiance with the glow of the goddess.

"Your Highness." Dedue gently smiled.

"It's beautiful Dedue. How long have you been doing this?"

"...After the first week, after Ashe had passed. I haven't been well and started to grow violets in his honour, however, everyone kept gifting me seeds after they saw the Gloucester Roses. I couldn't deny them."

He had to thank the greenhouse keeper for allowing this.

"Ashe would have loved this. You put so much heart and love into this."

"I know." His smile turned weak. "I adored him and the thought of him being happy made me happy."

"Dedue..."

Silence.

"It hurts Dimitri. I haven't felt such pain since my family were slaughtered."

Dimitri.

Was Dedue... Was that a slip-up?

"Dedue..."

"He would be happy. He would also be happy if I lived on, not just in memory of him but for all who have died. I know this."

"But it's hard to move on from your loved ones."

...Dimitri remembered when he first took Dedue in, how he tried to put on a brave face, but when night came the both of them couldn't stop their tears. It was so painful, even now it hurt them and to Dimitri, losing his loved ones were perhaps the greatest pain he ever felt.

So it was only fair to give those murderers the same pain back.

"His memory will live on in all of us."

His breath was uneven and shaky.

"Thank you."

No more words were needed. 

And all they did for those hours was watch the flowers glow and blossom.

And for the first time, the first time since the tragedy.

The ghosts no longer tormented his thoughts.

* * *

Byleth looked quite pale and nauseous and that alone set off red flags in the students' minds. Said red flags were becoming increasingly obvious when Byleth proceeded to quiet them down, repeatedly telling them that what they would see would stay between them and ONLY them (He gave Caspar a hard look on that part) and a promise that they wouldn't overly freak out or try and attack what was down here on sight.

Dedue noticed a small picnic basket under his arm, covered in a cloth that barely hid the sweet smells of treats.

Sylvain joked that there was some scary monster down there that Byleth had found and looked too pretty to kill before Ingrid slapped the back of his head fully expected the joke to go completely lewd and very inappropriate.

They all expected him to ignore the crude joke as usual.

"Something like that..."

But the pained expression on his face...

"Follow me... And watch your step, it's slippery."

"..."

This passage, in particular, took them down, down and further down, all down further down the passage on a slope made of stone barely lit from torches that reeked of fresh wood and oil. Darkened marks from what appeared to be marks left behind by the wooden wheels of a carriage. Scratches. Other, unrecognisable marks. Burns. Even dried blood, something relatively new. It choked them. The air was heavy. And the hallway in front of them seemed intimidating.

The dead screamed at him.

"This... This was apparently apart of a dungeon, back when the Monastery was made." Byleth started slowly. The further they walked down the hallway, the more hellish it felt. Torture racks, and jail cells reinforced with magic that was still active even now. "Torture chambers and cells containing those who 'dared to desecrate the name of the goddess'. Rhea said they're even stronger than the cells in Fhirdiad, and that these hallways are so complex those who try to escape die of starvation before they could find their own cell. This place could even hold a demonic beast if the conditions were better..."

A prison stronger than Fhirdiad... Dimitri wouldn't have believed that if this wasn't made to be apart of the church.

"You must have been wondering where I've been- I know I left even when Flayn was still missing, and I'm still sorry for that." The girl in question nodded in understanding. "But this had to do with Ashe, and previously I have been trying to find his body."

"Professor..." Mercedes put her hand on his shoulder, gently holding it in reassurance with a soft look in her eyes that made him freeze. "It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't shoulder the burden yourself."

A shaky breath.

The floor was becoming increasingly scratched up, puddles of purple started to appear.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

"Thank you, Mercedes." Byleth had another weak smile, a weak, solemn smile. "But as a teacher, I should have at least returned him to be fully at peace. I had looked for him on my own at first, then the rumours of thieves in the academy rose and other... Interesting, phenomena took place. One thing happened after the other, then I found some details on these thieves that disturbed me, then I found something on the Plateau... I had to take a battalion."

He... Found something?

"Yes, we were able to capture them and drag them here, even at the cost of a few soldiers-"

_"Which was, not our fault. You should have been careful."_

"Bah!"

A voice, masculine and deep, coming from a nearby magically enforced cell, almost made Annette scream and the rest of them draw their weapons. The voice suddenly laughed and all of them could see the eight crimson eyes in the darkness stare them down mirthfully, completely deaf to the demands of their professor to put down their weapons.

 _"Now now, I mean no harm. I only mean harm if the mistress means harm and if this magic cell wasn't stopping me, half of you fledgelings would be dead or dying already."_ No malice in his voice, only mirth. Like he was playing a game against a friend. The eyes blinked, one by one, left to right. Inhuman. _"And my poison is the strongest of the harem, you will not have kind deaths."_

However, the smile, the smile belonged to that of a predator. A predator with everything in its favour.

"What are you?"

 _"That is quite rude of you. 'What' and not, 'who'?"_ Another voice from the same cell, this time eight azure eyes seeped out from the dark. " _Hmm~ There are quite a few handsome studs here. The dark-haired cutie with the sword... Tall, dark and very handsome with hair to die for... Blonde noodles... Loose redhead... Eh, fifty/fifty, good enough. Do you think the queen would let us have a turn?"_

 _"No. He cares too much about these ones."_ The red-eyed individual spoke up. _"Damn parasites and their bonds."_

_"And to answer your question, we're not humans. Have a look!"_

When they stepped out of the shadows, they could clearly see that they were not humans. Whilst they seemed human in shape, very few features were actually human. Two pairs of chitin covered arms ending in clawed hands and legs covered in the same smooth, black chitin. Bony wings emerged from their backs, only on closer inspection, the wings were actually a large pair of spider legs that looked strong enough to lift their bodies high above the ground. A thick spiders abdomen hung from their backside with the spinnerets twitching. Their necks and the upper parts of their chest were covered in white and grey furs and on their face were eight eyes, each one consisting entirely of the sclera coloured red and blue respectively.

The red-eyed one wore an animal-skin loincloth and nothing else, whilst the other didn't have any of the sorts on him and seemed quite content with showing himself off to the group much to each one's embarrassment, decency or disgust (or complete apathy on Byleths part).

Not human.

Monster.

"Y-Your-"

 _"Handsome? Exotic?"_ The blue-eyed one grinned and his spider fangs wriggled. His hair was black, long and scraggly. _"Why thank you."_

Something tugged at the back of Dedue's head.

The red-eyed one shrugged. His hair was also crimson, short and tidy. _"Enough of that. I guess you're taking the kids to see the queen? Still the same spot, of course, but he's gotten hungry. Give him some food."_

"I've got some treats for him for now. Leave us be, or I won't be kind enough to spare you."

The creature scoffed. But clearly seeing how there was nothing he could do, he just leaned against the stone walls of his cell in silence. The blue-eyed one sighed in return, returning back to the darkness.

"Professor, w-what are they?"

"And why are they down here?"

Byleth carefully examined the expressions of his students, seemingly ignoring Ingrid and Annette's question at first before letting out his own sigh and motioned them to follow him further down. "Sires. Before any of you ask any more questions, come here, all of you. There's someone here you should meet. And... The reason why I called you here. If I had never told any of you about our guests and I kept visiting them every day, one of you would eventually be curious and one of you would undoubtedly be hurt."

"How can these... Sires, hurt us if they're trapped behind bars like this?" Felix's eyes narrowed. "Surely they're not that strong if they lost to you."

"It's not the sires I'm worried about. It's more the fact that you see their 'queen', you'd immediately try and free them." He didn't even wait for them to voice their confusion before they finally stopped at a cell, far larger than the others, certainly large enough to house a demonic beast. He called out, gently into the cell. "Hey... Are you awake, Ashe?"

...Huh?

Then...

After a moment of silence.

The voice answered.

A familiar voice, a familiar softness, an unfamiliar weariness.

"...Professor."

Hoarse.

Dedue's heart froze.

"Ashe-?!"

Happiness.

Words overlapped each other. Confusion. Hope.

Flipping the lever next to the cell entrance, they all watched as fire illuminated the cell, their hopeful faces being filled with joy before being eroded away into shock when they finally saw the thing lying chained in the centre of the room.

With the upper half of a human, of Ashe.

And the lower half of a spider, a monster.

Eight, very human eyes greeted them, a colour of green that Dedue admired and recognised. Too many beautiful eyes, belonging to a human face with spider fangs and pedipalps above the corners of his mouth, his lower jaw having a very noticeable deep and verticle scar in the middle down to his throat like it had been split. With the exception of his missing arm, his once frail yet toned left was now covered from shoulder to fingertip in white chitin, ending in sharp claws. The missing arm, which was a stump now, looked to be fully healed with some scarring. Yet it looked like chitin was trying to take over the arm too.

And the spider half below his waist was simply massive. Most of its size was thanks to its armoured abdomen and if he stood up on those legs of his they were sure he would be taller than even Dedue. The chitin was the same colour as the one on his arms with the exception of its dark grey underside and had pink spots from the spinneret that led up to the base of his spine. Under that armour, they could just barely see the purple flesh in the light.

It was certainly monstrous.

But it was Ashe.

It had his voice.

He was alive.

He was alive.

He was alive.

Ashe opened his mouth, letting out a weak hiss before attempting to settle back down.

Silence. They didn't know what to say.

Byleth spoke up again.

"I ended up finding Ashe and he was alive... But this, this is what he looks like now. And those two dastards-" The light curse surprised them. "Are the cause. I don't know how to return him to normal. I wanted to give him some proper food, but I wanted to make sure he'd still respond properly to the baked treats. I don't think his diet is the same-"

"Dedue."

Ashe's voice was still his, full of life. Yet, it didn't sound right.

"Ashe..." He hesitated to come any closer to the bars despite the high security that was up. Yet he couldn't stop himself. Why were his legs chained down like this? "I am... I am glad you are alive."

"Dedue!"

"I am here. Do not worry."

He said his name again. The exact tone, the exact joy.

"Dedue! Dedue!"

Cheery. Lovable.

A strange chittering noise came from Ashe's throat, one that sent vibrations to his jaw that made it rattle. He opened his mouth and yawned and Dedue almost relaxed fully when he saw how innocent he looked, especially how he drooled-

"Wait that's- DEDUE GET BACK!"

Byleth didn't even need to finish his sentence before Dedue snapped out of his trance and got out of the way just in time as Ashe let out a loud, animalistic screech as jaw immediately split apart before he spat a ball of green saliva where Dedue once stood. The magic was quick to evaporate the fluid before it could do anything, however, and they all watched Ashe's jaw unfurl and expand itself into a pair of disfigured mandibles that each ended in a cluster of small fangs before folding back together into a normal jaw, the only trace of the transformation left was the scar. Seemingly unaware of what he did, Ashe started to clean his arms with his pedipalps before looking back to them with a huge smile on his face.

His voice called out once more.

"Dedue! Dedue!"

Joyful.

"Ingrid!"

Lovable.

"Mercedes!"

Fake.

"Dimitri!"

Predatory.

"Felix!"

Filthy.

"Annette!"

Mimicry.

"Sylvain!"

And it broke Dedue's heart.

It broke them all.


	2. Flowers of Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedue adjusts to these strange revelations and finds answers in food and in fear.
> 
> Everyone else pins down theories about monsters. Oddly enough, a blue-haired fighter leads the charge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if this is messy. It's like 2:30 AM when I uploaded it from my super bad phone so I can't even clean it properly.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also warning for heavily implied animal death involving a stag and gross spider biology lessons with food.

_The Wyvern Moon_

"Dedue? I've been looking for you."

It's been a few days since Ashe came to them.

Dimitri once again found himself inside the greenhouse. Just as always the flowers looked as gorgeous as ever, the smells and colours never disoriented him and the radiance was brilliant to behold. This time he even spotted some vegetables growing in some of the less fertile spots of the greenhouse, leaving not a single spot unattended. Dedue must have been extremely focused, more than usual to keep the quality of the plants like this for as long as he had. The academy wouldn't have a flower shortage anytime soon that was certain.

"Dedue?"

He called out his name again.

The taller man didn't seem to hear him, too busy tending to the soil to notice.

"Dedue?"

Silence.

The prince frowned. Dedue was usually lost in thought nowadays especially when he tended to the gardens. He couldn't blame him, everyone's had a lot on their minds recently with the whole... Incident, with Ashe. It wasn't a surprise that Dedue, someone who genuinely loved Ashe, would be feeling the effects the worst. And considering what happened when they reunited and whenever Dedue tried to visit him...

Walking up to him, Dimitri called out his name again, tone softer. "Dedue."

He heard him this time, almost startled before swiftly turning to face the prince. "Y-Your Highness, my apologies I did not hear you come in."

"It's fine Dedue." Dimitri smiled. "I just wanted to find you to say that the professor was looking for you."

"Of course. I shall see him right away-"

"Actually... I wanted to ask you some questions before you leave." Dimitri quickly added before Dedue could leave, halting him in place with his words. Soft. Worried. He noticed the bags under his eyes and the sluggish movements he had when walking. He figured out very quickly that the incident caused him to lose sleep. It was no different than how he was sometimes. "Have you been well? You look simply exhausted."

"...Is it obvious?"

"Yes. I too struggle with sleep as you know. I know what that feels and looks like." He frowned. "Do you have nightmares? About Ashe, I mean."

He hesitated for a moment, a quick fluster of his cheeks that Dimitri just barely caught. "I have... Dreams. Not entirely nightmares. About Ashe, even about Duscur, a dream where you never reached out for me. They are hard to recall but they always wake me and I can no longer sleep afterwards."

Dimitri frowned. "I see... Dedue, please remember that I am here for you. If you need to confide with someone, I would be happy to lend my ear to you."

He wondered if Dedue was hurt by Ashe's new nature. The hybrid was no different from a curious animal, mimicking words with childlike joy with a tilt of his head and pleased chittering and clicks he would make whenever he rubbed those fangs of his together. He seemed friendly to everyone... Except for Dedue.

Aggressiveness.

Hissing.

Spitting.

Threatening postures.

The way his eyes became frantic slits.

He acted as if Dedue had harmed him.

But he knew Dedue wasn't that type of person, he would never hurt his lover or even friends like that. He wondered if Sylvain's words held true, that Dedue usually scared animals with his presence meant he also frightened Ashe. He also wondered about those 'sires', the professor said they were called if they also were responsible for his mentality as they were for how he now looked.

He didn't dare entertain such horrible thoughts, not when Dedue looked so hurt every time Ashe would hiss and spit at him.

After a few seconds of quiet consideration, Dedue shook his head. "No. I am fine Your Highness. There is no need for your concern."

Dimitri looked at him, trying to pry his true response out of him. When Dedue held firm, however, Dimitri sighed in defeat.

"But..."

Dedue quietly added. "If it does become a distraction, slows down my training or my services. I will tell you about my dreams."

"Dedue... Yes, please do. If it becomes too much know that I will be there for you. I hate watching you suffer like this and... Forgive me if I speak out of line. I know Ashe would hurt if he saw you like this even in his current state. I just wish for the wellbeing of your health."

Dedue didn't say anything.

Both were silent.

Before Dimitri could think of anything else to say, to save them from the awkward silence, Dedue muttered a quiet but appreciative thank you. The wariness in his eyes seemed weaker than before and when he turned to leave to see the professor, he could have sworn that Dedue had more vigour in his step than he has the past few days.

He would be fine.

Dedue was a strong individual that Dimitri admired. He admired the strength he possessed against such difficult times and adored how strong he held against everything that tried to hold him down.

But he never noticed the fluster on his retainer's cheeks when he left.

And he wouldn't know about the erotic, borderline graphic dreams that teased him in his sleep... For now anyway.

* * *

"Hey, professor!" Caspar waved at Byleth with Ingrid by his side, both students looking somewhat traumatised. "We've done our duties for the day, is there anything else you need?"

The duties of the day were simple. Taking care of the horses and the other stable duties that came with it. Caspar had no little to no experiences with horses and depended on Ingrid to teach him the basics at first, especially when it came to the fliers such as the pegasi and the wyverns but quickly made up for it on the final hours.

However, they were given another duty, just before their day had finished.

Byleth asked them to deliver a paralysed stag he hunted for himself and feed it to Ashe.

Caspar had joined the Blue Lions shortly before Ashe had been found and was just as disturbed as the others over his friend's condition and tried to get the original Ashe out of his body like the others. However, nothing he tried worked.

That was perhaps the trigger for him to surprise everyone when he came into class during free time with stacks of spider related books and started to study.

The fighter spent hours upon hours writing down whatever he could from the books, small notes with annotations and with Mercedes, Annette's and Byleth's help, was able to create a series of notes and theories together. One theory they needed to test immediately was dietary related. His body had changed and therefore it was likely his diet had too.

Ashe could eat sweets with little difficulty. Those jaws of his made it difficult for him to chew and swallow solids and since he always liked sweets, he always ate them with joyful chirps and chitters after he broke them into smaller pieces. However they knew he couldn't survive off sweets alone, so they tried other foods.

Vegetables?

Spits them out before turning it into sludge. They now confirmed that the green fluid he spat at Dedue was certainly acidic in some form.

Fruit.

Spits them out... But attempts to eat them again if they're particularly sweet. If not, also turns them into sludge.

Insects?

Wasn't going to try at first, however, Byleth needed to check and gave him a large cricket. He ate that no problem after melting it down somewhat.

Meat?

Yes. Also had no problems after melting it down.

Fish?

...He just looks at the food completely confused before nervously pushing it away.

Weird.

They hadn't tried cooked meals just yet, but judging by his previous responses it had to be a meat-based meal. It also seemed that the few solids he could consume without spitting at them had to be wetter foods. Dry foods didn't seem to go down as well and Byleth was worried that Ashe could choke otherwise. They weren't entirely comfortable feeding him raw food at all and the sooner they could figure out if he could eat cooked meals, the better.

Byleth shook his head, looking up from his book to greet them properly. He noticed a pair of antlers in Ingrid's arms, looking like the antlers was ripped off from its roots. "Hello, you two. How did Ashe take to the stag?"

Uncomfortable silence.

Then.

Ingrid spoke up, looking slightly green in the face. "Yes, he took to it a little too well I think. He didn't attack us at all and was completely focused on the stag we were carrying. He stayed still until we both left and... Ugh. I wished we put the thing out of its misery. He was sadistic."

"He can eat live foods and seems to do well without his arm, but he treated the deer like a cat that plays with a mouse." Caspar looked almost as nauseous. "He was so fast when he webbed it up and he tore off his horns and gave them to us before he retreated to the ceiling with his food."

"The ceiling?"

"Yeah, he made some type of home on the ceiling and it's completely covered in web." Caspar nodded. "It's pretty big, I couldn't really see him afterwards when he retreated."

"Hmm... After using so much web I suppose he was quite hungry."

But Ashe acting sadistically... That didn't sound good.

"He might not be hungry for a while after such a meal. But at least we can confirm he can eat large prey items..."

"Yeah. But I'd rather he eat normal, human meals from now on." Ingrid looked nervous. "He could probably eat one of the horses if he wanted to... Or even one of us."

Byleth sighed. He was getting good results, but it wasn't the results he wanted. He tried to ask the sires more about his condition, about why they took Ashe and why he's their 'queen'. All he got in return though were mirthful chuckles and eyes full of entertainment and pride like this was some sort of game to them.

He was worried he would have to resort to less savoury methods. Not because he believed people didn't deserve that. No, it was because he was worried he couldn't hold himself back whilst getting said information that could result in their 'unfortunate' deaths.

"He wouldn't eat one of us, don't say that Ingrid!"

"I know it's Ashe, but he's changed. He's not normal anymore, he probably sees us as prey as well and is just waiting for us to drop his guard."

...

_"Now now, I mean no harm. I only mean harm if the mistress means harm and if this magic cell wasn't stopping me, half of you fledgelings would be dead or dying already."_

What that red-eyed sire said...

_"No. He cares too much about these ones. Damn parasites and their bonds."_

Parasites.

Bonds.

"I don't think he wants to harm us."

Both students looked at Byleth.

"What do you mean professor?"

Byleth didn't say anything for a moment, quietly trying to form the sentence in his head before speaking out. "Remember what the red-eyed sire said when you first met him?" At their silence, he continued. "He mentioned that he could harm us only if the cell wasn't in the way AND if his mistress, Ashe, wanted it. And... He mentioned something about parasites and their bonds. He must have been referring to Ashe as well."

"So wait." Caspar blinked, confuddled. "Ashe is their queen, but is also a parasite?"

"I... I'm not entirely sure..." He quietly admitted, but quickly continued before anyone else spoke up. "But... I know Ashe doesn't want to harm us. He's been pleasant to all of us ever since he arrived-"

"But he's also been aggressive to Dedue."

"..."

Ashe couldn't mean harm.

But if he truly didn't mean harm, why was he aggressive towards Dedue and only Dedue. He couldn't just round up students and faculty and make Ashe examine them to record his reactions. The only other time that Ashe was aggressive was when he tried to save him...

...

He let out a frustrated sigh, his emotions quickly becoming nullified before they became too out of hand.

"Professor..?"

"I'm fine, I'm alright." He exhaled. "I'm going to need to think about this. Lady Rhea wants to be sure that Ashe is safe to keep around and I'm not keen on the idea of kicking him out or worse. The both of you are dismissed."

Besides, he needed to talk to Dedue in private.

* * *

Once again Dedue waking up in a sweat, jolting upward on his bed with a familiar, uncomfortable stickiness in his underwear. He let out a shaky sigh, resting his head into his palms before lying back onto his bed. Emotions twisted inside of him, recognisable emotions from a dream he couldn't remember, only that the sweet and salty taste that lingered on his tongue and lips that shouldn't be there.

He couldn't help himself from licking his lips again, the taste still there.

Every time he fell asleep, he would always wake up from dreams hours later that he couldn't remember with ruined underwear and a layer of sweat that coated his skin. He promised Dimitri that he would tell him if it had gotten to the point where he was becoming affected by his lack of sleep, however, he wasn't prepared to tell him anytime soon. Telling him that the reason for his lack of sleep wasn't because of the trauma but because of a series of wet dreams was a conversation he was not looking forward too, not just because it was going to be embarrassing for both parties but he didn't want to imply that his libido had skyrocketed to the point he was having erotic dreams almost every night. Such a concept should be impossible for normal people.

...And he dreaded word reaching Sylvain... Or any of his classmates for that matter. And if Ashe, whenever he returned to normal, finds out, he would rather just never see him again out of shame and embarrassment.

He was a young man.

Sex was a natural thing for people and people had preferences.

He just a preference for men.

And constant, unreadable dreams.

Nothing to be ashamed about at all.

...

He wondered how people would react when they see the usually emotionless man with an expression of stone become so incredibly flustered over his nightly incidents.

Then swatted those thoughts when they wandered too far from innocence and tried to focus on anything else.

Eventually.

Another twist of emotions rose in his stomach, twisting just as before, curling against his skin like a knot. His throat felt dry and itchy and Dedue wondered if the kitchen would be open so he could get a drink... Actually.

His thoughts lingered back to the words of his professor.

_"Dedue? Thank you for coming. I wanted to ask a favour of you."_

_"Of course."_

_"Well... As you are aware, we started to feed Ashe some food types from yesterday. And we have found out he seems to mainly thrive on a meat and insect-based diet, as previously suspected. He keeps trying to eat fruit even though he spits them out. So... Since Ashe had been acting aggressively towards you, I was wondering if you could cook him a meal."_

_"I... Pardon?"_

_"You've been suffering in silence from this for too long. And I think that, if you try and bond with Ashe he might open up to you again. Of course, it's only speculation, but I want you to give it a try. Do you think you can do that?"_

_"..."_

He agreed.

If it meant Ashe would open up and even help him return to normal, he would do it with no hesitation. His professor even gave him a pass specifically made for him to enter the dining hall and its kitchen whenever and had told the night watch guards that he was allowed and if any of them tried to harm him... He would hurt them. Badly.

He valued his kindness.

It was another debt to repay.

* * *

"Ashe?"

When he finally arrived at his cell in the dungeon with a tray of hot food in hand, Dedue noticed that Ashe wasn't in his cell... Until he had a closer look on the ceiling.

The cell was several metre's tall, certainly tall enough to hold a large monster somewhat comfortably. He almost didn't notice his lover buried within the thick layers of spider's web that covered the ceiling that looked carefully made, sheets of web carefully weaved onto each other that looked strong enough to keep a human firmly in place. Thinner ropes of web hung from the sheets, some ending in broken threads or bloodied cocoons. Said cocoons seemed to have chunks of relatively fresh meat inside and Dedue could make out a hoof hanging limply from a thread, not properly secured by the bindings.

Ashe was hiding inside, his abdomen just visible and gently vibrating in slow, steady motions akin to snoring. It was late at night so he wasn't too surprised. He was more curious about Ashe, who seemed to be sleeping upside down judging from the angle. Did he not feel light-headed? Was it comfortable like that?

"Ashe."

He called out again, louder, more resolved. For a moment nothing had happened. And just when Dedue went to open his mouth-

Ashe responded with a sleepy groan.

Slowly, the hybrid started to wiggle out from his hide, pushing away the sheets with his arm and legs and readjusting himself. Eventually, Dedue could see the tuft of grey hair push against the surface before popping out like an egg. Eight, tired and curious green eyes greeted him and he almost faltered.

They still looked like Ashe.

Kind and compassionate, perhaps foolishly so to other people. But he and many other's adored them.

He wondered if he should have brought flowers, just to see that happiness bubble within them. Just to see a hint of the one he loved, a hint that he was still alive.

Fear and hatred replaced adoration and compassion.

"Dedue!"

Once Ashe noticed that Dedue was there he had quickly snapped from his drowsiness and once again started to hiss at him, his fangs stridulating and thick green saliva dribbling from his mouth. The aggressive sounds increased in volume when he realised Dedue refused to move and started to crawl down from the ceiling, more of his beautifully horrific form coming into the light. Dedue's thought's drifted, his eyes softening at how strangely beautiful his exoskeleton looked, how it reflected the torchlight, how the pink dot's looked cute on his back and how despite his missing limb, he still seemed to live his new life without much issue.

It was strangely beautiful.

All of him was strangely beautiful.

Shouldn't he have been afraid of him, an unknown beast? Perhaps. He wasn't entirely sure if he was thinking anymore.

But Ashe wasn't a beast. He wouldn't allow it.

He barely reacted to the acid flung at him that landed before his feet. He ignored the hisses and hateful gaze that pierced him through those now slitted eyes.

And, through that ignorance, he could feel fear.

"Dedue!" Another hiss. "Dedue!"

He was afraid.

A monster that could terrify people by presence alone... Was scared by his own.

(Not a monster. Just Ashe.)

Ashe screeched in terror and scooted further away from the bars of his cell, desperate to leave but ended up concealing himself in the furthest corner. He acted like a scared child. And how he shivered and trembled from him and only him.

"What did they do to you..?"

"D-Dedue!" More hissing, more hatred instead of mimicry. "Dedue, no!"

No.

A word he hasn't repeated yet.

He lowered himself, trying to make himself as small as possible, small enough to become prey to the predator in front of him. The tray in his hands even now didn't tremble or falter, the food unharmed as he placed it on the floor and, after fiddling with the keys, opened the door and carefully walked in.

It was dangerous.

Stupidly dangerous.

Ashe could tackle and poison him within seconds and he wouldn't be able to even do anything as Ashe devoured him. He could even feel that predatory gaze on his back, no matter how startled or terrified it seemed.

But.

He wanted- no, HAD to put his faith in him.

Even as he placed the food onto the floor, pushing it closer towards Ashe and further away from him, he could still hear his panicked hisses and clicks, as well as the scraping of stone caused by his legs trying to push him further away. Every emotion of anger one could possibly have bubbled inside of him like a boiling pot. Those sires hurt him, hurt him badly to the point he had become like this, how he acted so afraid of him like he was the monster and not them.

He would get his answers soon.

"Please enjoy. It's for you."

But for now, he needed Ashe to open up.

...

He was going to get himself killed by his stupid decisions. However, he was determined to get him to see him as a friend, not a threat.

"D-D-Dedue no Dedue!"

Ashe was crying.

Fear.

He carefully placed himself on the stone floor, mindful of avoiding the few strands on the floor before placing the tray on his lap and waited.

"No-No-Dedue, no- Please!"

He closed his eyes.

"P-Please!"

And placed his faith in Ashe.

For a brief moment, he wondered if this would be his resting place, all because he put his faith in the wrong person. He thought about reciting his prayers, thought about many things from home.

Then.

Silence.

He waited for whimpers, hissing, crying, any noise from his partner. His eye's held firmly shut even when he felt minutes pass. He held still even when it started to become uncomfortable, the pressure or the cold and hard floor he wasn't sure.

Nothing.

Then.

Sniffing..?

So.

He opened his eyes.

No longer did the hybrid tremble and whimper in fear. Now almost completely still and resided in his corner, the only slight movement he made was the curious twitch of his nose that turned into deep inhales that took in as much of the drifting smells of cooked pheasant and berries it possibly could. All of his eyes had dilated, the blacks of his pupils overtaking his serene greens that almost seemed to pulse in the darkness. Those dilated eyes drifted, finally falling on the tray on his lap where they widened further than humanly possible in recognition.

Recognition.

It was what Dedue wanted to see.

His eyes drifted from the pheasant, then to the spiced bread.

"Do you recognise this... Ashe?" He asked softly. Picking up his spoon, he carved into the softest and most tender piece of the meat he could, plucking out a small portion of the roast bird and dipped it in the berry sauce before holding it out towards him. He felt like a parent trying to make their child taste a new dish. His cheeks felt warm, his smile even more so. "This was one of your favourite meals. You always loved my version of it even more, even if it was nothing special. You were happy regardless."

Ashe let out a curious chitter, tilting his head at the food on his lap.

"And... Even if it was nothing special. Seeing you happy made me happy, it reminded me of home."

His breathing broke, uneasy and shaky.

"Please... Please, Ashe, eat this. I want to see your smile again."

He waited. Patiently waited for a response, hopeful for more positive reactions, more proof that Ashe was still in there.

Ashe chittered again, softer than usual as his posture drooped and lowered himself, no longer as stiff as a board and seemed to have loosened up, yet made no movement towards him... Not yet at least. Dedue could feel that hope in his heart glow brighter as Ashe finally started to crawl towards him even if it was incredibly cautious, each leg of his taking careful steps as he inched closer and closer. Despite his size, Ashe took his time reaching him and by the time the hybrid found himself in front of Dedue a full minute had passed.

He was worried that the food would go cold at this rate, and oddly, nearly smiled at the thought.

Ashe didn't do anything after that, only nervously keeping to himself and avoiding eye contact altogether... Or at least until Dedue raised the still warm pheasant up towards him, then his attention had been caught once more. He continued to quietly sniff and stridulate. His expression swiftly turned into one of confusion, however, when he lifted his arm up and pushed it against the spoon and watched it fall back onto the plate with a blank expression.

"It's okay," Dedue reassured. Perhaps he struggled to remember how to use utensils? "Try again."

Saying nothing else, Ashe watched him pick up the piece of meat before awkwardly opening his mouth as if he was doing such a simple act for the first time. Dedue watched, somewhat nervous as his jaw once again split apart and revealed his gaping maw to him. A tapered and prehensile tongue peeped out from his mandibles before immediately swiping the meat away in an instant and swallowed it. The guardian could feel the heavy breaths that tinged his face with heat and was increasingly aware of how gross the inside of his mouth looked. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for long before Ashe swallowed it and allowed Dedue his space back.

"How is it?"

A happy chirp.

He chuckled. "Would you try some of the bread?"

It was a simple chai-spiced bread he had made yesterday but never actually gotten the chance to share it with any of his classmates. It still had a strong smell, something Ashe had quickly noticed as he started to drool immediately much to Dedue's amusement.

The hybrid nodded and Dedue held out a slice that was quickly snatched away. Unlike with the meat, however, Ashe didn't take to it as quickly, making a weird expression before dowing it in small pieces. He couldn't stop himself from continuing to hold out food and watch Ashe try and eat it, smiling fondly at a memory before the whole incident started where they had started to feed each other in private, how Ashe would show off his gorgeous smile and make Dedue's heart stop... As well as accidentally punch the gentle giant in the face because the archer became stuck in his daydreams to realise what he was doing in time. The memory was vivid, the heat on his cheeks just as much.

It didn't take too long for the tray to be picked clean, leaving no crumb behind. He now knew could eat bread. But he was still keen on the meat and didn't seem to mind the sauce as long as it wasn't overwhelming.

"Dedue?"

Ashe repeated his name, this time with fondness. The strange pedipalps on his face plucked at pieces of crumbs left on his face before inserting them into his mouth before he started to speak again. "Dedue!"

He was... He was glad that Ashe wasn't panicking anymore.

But it seemed that he fell back onto mimicry once more-

"Dedue~ De-Delic..." He struggled with his word. "Delicious!"

"...Oh?"

Ashe didn't seem to be aware of Dedue's shock, instead, having a big smile on his adorable flushed face and showed off his happiness. "G-Good! Delicious!"

He... Dedue felt relieved at that.

He made some progress, not too much, but enough to let Ashe finally no longer be afraid of him. That was good enough for now at least. An unnoticeable pressure lifted off his chest, allowing him to breathe once more.

This was good.

It was progress.

Sure the rest of the recovery might be slow, it might take months or even years. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that and that he would get his answers soon, as well as make those monsters pay dearly for harming his Ashe. He would allow the questioning, but as soon as that was done-

"G-G-Gift?"

The broken word snapped him from his darkening thoughts, finding Ashe still in front of him this time standing up. But as Dedue quickly noticed, something looked off...

His stance seemed wobbly and his face was unusually... Strange. The expression looked _hungry_ and _primal_ yet at the same time, completely passive. Like a beast, yet not quite. And his eyes felt distant yet completely focused.

And they all focused on him intently.

Something was wrong.

"Ashe..? Are you alright? Is there-"

"Gi-Gift." He bit his lip. "Gift... Mate?"

Huh?

Ashe paused. "Gift... Breed?" He tilted his head. "Breed?"

...He tried to register what was said. Certainly, he was asking for more bread and not asking for-

"B-Breed... Breed me."

...

"Oh."

Perhaps that was the most awkward he's ever sounded in his life.

Of course, since they were doing usual courting procedures, sex never really came up in any of the conversations that were had. Dedue never admitted how deep his desires for the archer went and Ashe never told his and that was perfectly fine with him, he was always content with holding his hand or whenever he dreamed of Ashe, embracing him in his sleep. If Ashe would one day ask him to engage in sexual relations Dedue would happily reciprocate.

He just didn't want to now.

Not because his body was different and looked uncomfortable to experiment with.

No.

The answer was obvious to him and he shook his head, swiftly rejecting the offer. "No Ashe. I would be taking advantage of you in your current state." And he wasn't comfortable with how he worded it either.

He hoped that Ashe would understand.

"N-No?"

His tone was dangerous, dangerous enough to set off the bells in his head that, he was potentially in danger right now and he needed to leave. However, his hopeful thoughts kept him in place, faith in Ashe still strong.

A salty-sweet smell lingered in the once stale air.

"No... Mating?" He looked distraught. "Dedue? Dedue~"

"I'm sorry."

...

The hurt in his eyes was suddenly that much more apparent.

The hybrid didn't look at him after that. Turning away to avoid his gaze before rushing back into his hide with insane levels of speed, not even saying goodbye and patched up the entrance immediately, completely burying himself allowing no way for anyone to enter or even allowing anyone to catch sight of his form.

Whatever warm feelings Dedue once had were gone. Despite doing the right thing (what he thought was right), for some reason, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. The food tray carelessly tossed to the side and the taste of chai was still thick in the sweet and salty air. But despite that warmth. It still offered nothing.

Only hollow emptiness remained.

* * *

 _"Hmm~ Very interesting that the pheromones are strong today."_ A smirk. _"I wonder if that's the one our queen holds dear?"_

 _"Possibly."_ A frown. _"However this sadness... Was there rejection?"_

_"Disappointing. It's a privilege that a queen allows a human to bed her, he would not get a second chance if our queen was not a parasite. Oh well."_

_"I suppose since it's a loved one-"_

_"Temptations will be needed."_

_"And we still have time, do we not?"  
_

_"Plenty. A new member of the harem would greatly be appreciated in these trying times. Especially one as good looking as him."_

_"Very."_

_"Then let us wait this out and pull those human strings."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut just yet. Perhaps in the next chapter, however.


	3. Flowers of Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedue finally gets some answers, while he hasn't gotten the exact answers he wants, he now knows that if he was left alone with those two monsters he would make them regret ever being born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a little off pace and that the wording is awkward. I was struggling a lot and ended up cutting this chapter quite a bit. So a semi-short chapter today. I also changed the name of the fic as, tbh, Breed Houses implied everyone be fucking which, sadly will not happen. So it's Violet Gossamer now.
> 
> Mentioned sexual assault in this chapter and some other fucked up implications, fair warning.

The following morning had finally arrived and Dimitri had woken up with a smile on his face and a hopeful outlook for the coming month. Despite all of the more recent events that have happened, Dimitri was excited for The Battle of the Eagle and Lion that would happen within the next few weeks and was determined to win not just for his class but to show his professor that he had grown so much since when they first met.

No longer was he as clumsy as he used to be. He was slowly becoming the king he was meant to be.

(Slowly, he would take his revenge.)

And when he went into class with that same smile on his face, he was ready to take on the day.

Except the smile was quickly replaced with a frown when he noticed that Dedue of all people wasn't in class. Of course, the seminar wouldn't start for another ten minutes so he still had time to arrive and Dimitri briefly wondered if he was being held up by something.

Five minutes past.

Felix. Ingrid. Sylvain. Annette. Mercedes. Caspar. Flayn. Even Ignatz now.

No sign of the Ashen Wolves (of course, they were out on special business right now).

No sign of the gentle giant (didn't make sense, didn't make sense).

Dimitri was slowly starting to get worried, which briefly disappeared when he heard the entrance doors close and turned around to greet his friend, then returned that it was actually Byleth and not his retainer.

And... Hapi was just behind him, leaving them with a stiff wave.

"Hapi..?"

Byleth had a pile of papers in his hands, a bed of messy hair and an exhausted look on his face. He wouldn't be surprised if all those papers needed to be signed. It's all he's been doing the past week. Battalions, budgets, food, gardening equipment, weapon maintenance. He did not envy him.

"Everyone," Byleth greeted, stifling a yawn. "Sorry about my appearance. I thought you should all know that Dedue is not feeling well and will not be in classes for today. He should be in his room so if anyone wants to send any get well gifts, you know where to find him. All information and notes will be sent to him later today."

Dedue? Ill?

He's never heard those two words in one sentence before.

"And..." Byleth paused, his eyes narrowing as he silently read out the text on the top pile. "If anyone was curious about our... Guests, do not worry. I have already started to question them and hopefully, we will get our answers soon enough. If anyone wants any private seminar's, meet me at the training grounds. We will be doing more practical lessons today and I know some people will be happy about it."

Felix's name went unspoken.

"So, let's start the lecture. Take one and pass them down your table. We're doing strategy and basic faith training today. You're all learning basic healing magic whether you like it or not. If anyone has certification exams, you know where to go after this. Flayn, Mercedes? Could you help the others with their faith if you're finished?"

"Of course!"

"I'd be happy to."

"Now,"

His smile adopted a sharp edge.

"Let's start!"

* * *

That morning the skies seemed clearer than usual, especially for the time of year where winter colds would be falling ever closer and rain and clouds would take over the skies. It was a pleasant day for the students.

But not for one person.

Before the lessons started and the soul started to drain from the student's bodies, Dedue found himself in his room staring blankly at the ceiling, his blanket carelessly lying half off the bed and wearing nothing but his pants. His eyes were sore from staying up for so long, not because of his invasive dreams this time, but the events of the night made him unable to go back to sleep.

It was comforting, knowing that Ashe had finally started to open up to him. But his words, his fear laced words.

It made him angry.

He originally asked Byleth to let him off because he legitimately wasn't feeling well. Heavy eyelids and a sore throat, one from a well-known source, the other may be a cold. Then his mind wandered off to the existence of the sires, the monsters who hurt Ashe and changed him to look like this. Byleth was already going to get questions himself, so there wasn't much point of him going himself unless for whatever reason he needed an extra pair of hands, even then there were more capable people around to do just that.

If it had to end violently, so be it.

But killing them would do no good.

Just make everything worse.

_"Breed Me..."_

His throat felt dry from remembering that. The expression on his face wasn't strange anymore, it was just pure, animalistic lust. And he wanted him. And he rejected him.

Of course, he would. Ashe wasn't in a stable state of mind and was clearly clinging to him to cope with his trauma, however, such affections would surely bite back whenever he returned, and he would hate himself for it. Both Dedue and Ashe. For now, he would just help him in smaller ways, ways that wouldn't harm him. Food, comfort, anything. The idea of acting on lust now left a sour pit in his stomach.

But his expression.

The way he bit his lip.

Those _words._

He couldn't get it out of his head. It made him feel things. Tingly sensations that tugged at the strings in his stomach.

It was a strange sensation based on lust and Dedue wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. It was a complicated feeling, and so Dedue decided that it would be better to ignore them for the time being. He needed to focus on tasks for His Highness and his class, Ashe would be fine, he could still visit him. Of course, he had to deal with them soon, he knew that.

But the stress of not knowing was getting to him.

...

The silence continued for a few moments more and Dedue continued to look at the ceiling, eventually drifting down the walls, onto the boots on the floor, which had strands of web still attached, which he previously spent hours trying to remove before getting his fingers completely tangled and in the end resorted to burning it off, then back to his door. He was tempted to see him now actually. He might get in trouble if he gets caught, however, he knew that Byleth wouldn't be out for another few hours anyway. Yet at the same time, he wondered if Dimitri would allow him otherwise...

Regardless, it was enough time to make Ashe more food.

* * *

"..."

Ashe stayed silent, purposely ignoring Dedue when he walked into the cell with a food tray in hand but hadn't retreated into his hide... Yet. He could feel the other's anxiety when he edged closer before placing the tray onto the floor. "Ashe?" He called to him quietly, noting the red tips of his ears and the slightest swell of his large abdomen, how his skin seemed paler than usual (lack of sunlight of course) and how his grey exoskeleton seemed... Lifeless. He could see him spinning and weaving a ball of web held between his front legs, rolling it about before pushing it into a corner seemingly loosing interest. "Do you want me to feed you?"

He didn't expect a coherent response or even a response at all. Dedue had fully expected for him to be hiding away again.

"...Nuh." He shook his head, his eyes slowly falling onto his body one by one nervously.

He had been tempted to stay behind and comfort him for a short while at the very least. However, now he wasn't even sure if that was a good idea. Ashe seemed uncomfortable being near him at the moment and he, damn his mind for even thinking of something so dreadful, could try and... Force himself on him. He wasn't blind, he still looked at him with lust. (Ashe would never do such a thing, how dare he think that.)

And, just like before, he couldn't return his feelings.

Not yet.

When Ashe returned to normal then he would happily return them if he so wished.

"I shall leave your food here." He frowned, staring at the chicken soup and brown bread quietly before speaking up. "Please eat, you need-"

"Dedue..."

Once more he looked at the Duscurian with lusty eyes and tried to walk up to him, but immediately his expression fell when Dedue shook his head again and left the cell before another word was spoken. He tried to ignore Ashe's whimper's, tried to block out the weak calls as he fumbled with the lock. Ashe didn't attempt to move closer. In fact, it felt like he was moving further away.

"D-Dedue... B-B-Breed?"

But they entered his head and implanted itself in his head.

Not yet.

He couldn't stop his shame as that weak cry tugged at him, just as it had done before.

* * *

It wasn't until a few days later he found himself back in the dungeon, this time, however, for a very different reason.

...

...

 _"Hey, you."_ One of the sires called out as he passed and the temptation to ignore them was strong. _"Man of Duscur. Come here would you?"_

But... Perhaps he could get some answers for himself. Make the experience less hard for everyone involved. Make Ashe happy and whole. He couldn't face him now. Not now.

...

"Ugh."

Now he wished he just ignored them now that he finally noticed what was going on in there.

 _"You sure you don't want to bed him?"_ The blue-eyed sire smirked at him with vicious teeth, only increasing when Dedue's frown turned into a scowl as he wiped his filthy hands on the walls. _"It's not every day that a human has a chance with such a lovely queen, you should take it while you have the chance."_

"What-" The voice that came from his mouth was completely devoid of kindness, completely replaced with disgust. "Did you do to Ashe?"

Such anger would scare a normal person.

But of course, he wasn't dealing with humans.

For the past few days, the sires have been kept a few cells further than where Ashe was staying and communication between them have been limited. They refused to respond to Byleths questions and would instead just silently stare at each other... If he was lucky, then the monsters would just make crude comments. Recently they seemed too flustered to even talk, and Dedue had the unfortunate timing to visit them when they were in the middle of giving each other a handjob.

He had even more unlucky breaks when they completely ignored his question, instead, the blue-haired sire turned and lifted his abdomen into the air to flash Dedue to purposely fluster him, only getting Dedue to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

That only made the monster cackle.

 _"Scary... But, ah, I am very sure you could snap me like a twig, but threats mean nothing when it's filled with the intent to kill for the purpose of gathering information. You kill us, you get nothing on how to make our queen turn back into a pathetic human and you will live with the fact that you took his only chance of 'salvation'."_ He rolled his eyes at that. _"But... Tell you what? Let's start with basic greetings and we'll go from there. I am very curious about you, not just for our selfish reasons, but I am genuinely curious how a man from Duscur is here as a Blue Lion, serving the prince to boot."_

Dedue didn't want to play any sort of niceties. But in reality, getting information by his lonesome would be difficult and having his professor or classmates would really help with this.

And, if he remembered correctly, Byleth had mentioned at one point that getting information out of them was difficult. If he could get some, even if just a little. And now he was even more curious as to why this creature actually knew what the Blue Lions were and his origins. He doubted that Byleth informed them.

Play along for now then.

"...Very well."

Correct response.

The blue-eyed sire clapped, clearly pleased with his answer. _"Good, good! Well then, my name is Vayu, and this handsome redhead is Ezio. You?"_

His temptation to not answer was strong. "...Dedue."

Ezio's main eyes blinked.

 _"Dedue... De-Due~"_ Vayu hummed to himself. _"Hmm, that's a cute name. Anyway... How did you come to this place? After the whole tragedy incident, I would have thought you would avoid being anywhere near those from Faerghus. Their blood runs colder than most."_

"His Highness saved me." He said simply, his tone dimissive. "That is all."

Vayu waited, clearly expecting more. When he realised that Dedue wouldn't speak any more on the subject, he huffed like a child. _"Not much for conversation are you? But, that's fine, I think we can figure out the rest. I would assume you cling to a prince out of debt or... Heh, or if he has you wrapped around your finger, like a prisoner who becomes attached to their captor and falls in love? However, it's not the prince you love dearly, correct? It's our precious queen. Ashe... Was it?"_

For a moment, his eyes seemed to glimmer. _"Us sires still bear our names. Queens are queens, they need no names. Only love and adoration. And it seems he also wants to share his adoration with you."_ That was when he looked at Dedue with interest. _"Hmm... How about we tell you about us? It seems only fair that the one our queen adores the most should get to understand our kind first, no?"_

...This was easy.

Almost too easy.

There must be some sort of trick behind this. But it was impossible for them to try anything behind bars, so there must have been another reason, right?

 _"Don't worry."_ Ezio suddenly said, waving him off. _"It's not that complicated, we're just bored and we're desperate to talk to someone that isn't each other. Besides, you were going to torture the answer's out of us at some point, we might as well talk as close to equals as possible."_

_"And I will go crazy if I don't talk to anyone else. So if you have any questions, go ahead."_

He-He supposed so? Well, if they were up for talking, Dedue guessed this was the best solution to all this. He thought for a moment, thinking of the most important questions to ask first. "What are you?"

 _"Us?"_ Vayu pointed to himself as if the question was stupid and was easy to obtain knowledge. _"We are sires! We're the males of the glorious..."_ He paused, rolling his thin tongue from out his lips and clicked his tongue. _"Ah wait. I can't really say it in your language... Er, call us the Arachnids for now. We're a species born from the scraps of humanity and the blood of our goddess. Our kind has been around since the age of Seiros actually. We don't really keep records anymore though, so don't ask about our finer moments."_

_"We used too. Ever since we lost our great city to the Pale Moles, however..."_

_"Yes, yes. Ignoring that though, if you're curious about the finer details of our race I shall continue, if not, feel free to leave. I ain't explaining everything though, we all have our secrets."_ He coughed. _"As mentioned, we're sires, the males of the Arachnids and we have designated roles depending on our sex and other qualities. So we have our beautiful queens who we all serve and are- were exclusively- female. Then, you have us, the sires. Basically, we're the all-male harem and the bearers of our selected queens."_

Harem..? Bearers..?

_"Hmm, what else..?"_

_"We serve our new queen,"_ Ezio spoke up now. _"And we will follow him to the ends of the world. However, we were not expecting his bond to this place to remain so strong. And thanks to that, we were caught. It's unfortunate, even more so that it seems that he doesn't want to leave, I can taste it."_

"Taste..?"

Ezio clicked his tongue, stretching those fangs of his outward. _"Pheromones. Us arachnids can taste each other's pheromones in the air, our queen has the stronger scents for obvious reasons and right now, he's content with staying. However... You did something to our queen last night."_

He did something? All he did was feed Ashe and-

_"He offered you the chance to bed him, however, you denied him and now we have to deal with such an unpleasant scent. He's quite upset."_

"Of course." His eyes narrowed. "I would be taking advantage of him in such a vulnerable state. You did something to Ashe, hurt him to the point he cannot even speak normally anymore. I would never forgive you, no matter how much you apologise."

 _"Well, it wasn't our fault it didn't take as well as it should have."_ Vayu hissed at him. _"Not that it matters. We only need to assist him now, help him survive and teach him our ways. That behaviour you see? The constant, feral hissing, the lack of proper sentences and screeches? Queens don't do that as much as he is. Our process had... Unexpected side effects. To be perfectly honest, we're glad he brought us here. He led us straight to you."_

"..What are you talking about?"

 _"The process- No, the stress had made him exceptionally aggressive towards you. However, thanks to your persistence, you were able to help him and therefore, we found out that you... You are his lover correct?"_ His smile widened when he saw those cheeks briefly darken. _"See, our queen would stay like this for a long time, perhaps a decade at most and we don't have the time for such. However, we theorise our queen will readjust a lot quicker if he's with someone from his old life, preferably one with a strong bond. It'd mature his brain a lot quicker, to say the least, perhaps even more so if we try more... Exciting activities."_

"..."

_"Judging by your expression, you do. He really, really wants to mate with you and is quite frustrated that you won't offer yourself up. And before you go 'but he's not in his right mind', the reason we wanted to find you was simple. He reacts better to close allies, family, lovers and so on..."_

Vayu muttered something else under his breath, quiet enough that Dedue didn't catch it in time.

_"Sure sex isn't the only way, normal gestures should work fine as well, but it helps a lot more when triggering certain responses. Basically, whether you bond with him through the power of fucking or just being a good buddy would work, however, our dearest queen might want the former. Us arachnids are a promiscuous species, our queen will feel quite antsy being unattended. Unless you will let us attend to him ourselves?"_

Dedue firmly shook his head. "No."

 _"Our queen needs a thorough breeding-"_ Crude language with even just as crude intent and Dedue absolutely despised it. _"If you won't do it. We will. Our queen will suffer otherwise."_

"I won't allow it." His eyes narrowed. "I will find other methods of helping him. I will never force myself on him."

Amused chuckles responded to his statement. This time, Ezio spoke up. _"I wonder. Do you actually care about such considerations? ...Or do you really want first pick?"_

"...Excuse me?"

A pause.

 _"...Allow me to rephrase."_ He shot a quick look to Vayu. "Are _you the type who refuses to touch another woman or man whose bodies have already been soiled? Even if their love for you was genuine and happiness between you and your lover was fruitful? I have heard tales and seen those who are just like that, vile things."_

"I would not care."

Why was he getting an incredibly sickening feeling about this?

 _"And so you claim. I was merely wondering, after all, it would be a shame if you were lying to save face and then found out about our first meeting with the queen and how we- Oh, wait."_ Such a disgustingly smug look on his face. Those red eyes seemed to lose their usual lustre compared to the slow rage that was flickering alight in him when the implications were starting to hit him with those vile words. _"Don't want to ruin your chances after all."_

He didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything for the fear of losing himself. They were testing him with believable lies. He could ignore it.

Then they continued. And the air faintly tasted sour on his lips.

 _"Oh yeah, I remember now._ _"_ Vayu nodded and eyed Dedue with a mocking expression, very much aware of the rage that built up inside. _"By the shadows, even in human form was our queen a good lay. So amazingly tight. He squirmed and cried for a bit, but even an absolute idiot could understand how much he adored it. I don't think I had ever seen such an eager whore. In fact, one time when I was coming back home from my hunt the adorable little thing immediately got excited by my presence and raised his hips up, just like that! I couldn't stop myself!_ _"_

_"And, Dedue. Do you know what he said?"_

What did he say? A morbid part of his brain had asked. A part of him that hadn't yet shut down.

_"He cried for you. He wanted to see his precious human again as we fuck him, to show his 'lover' that he was happier here than he ever, EVER was with you..."_

Something inside him groaned. Threatened to snap and boil his blood even further.

He wanted to hurt them. Make them suffer.

Break them.

Emotions swirled inside his stomach, mixing together into an inconceivable concoction of rage and fear that was becoming something that threatened to crack and leak like a glass plane that struggled to hold the weight that threatened to crush it. It threatened to snap and break, any more cracks and the fire inside would escape.

How dare they?

How dare they?!

A fire crackled inside, he could feel his hand burn with heat.

 _"Oho?!"_ He couldn't hear who was saying it anymore. _"Fire magic?!"_

He wanted nothing more than to hurt them, find out if they were as weak to fire as most life was. And yet...

...

He... As much as he so desperately wanted, he could not turn back time and rescue Ashe from such a horrific fate. But, at the very least, he could bring comfort and answers, and seek revenge his own way. He could not get blinded by his own revenge, he couldn't risk possibly hurting Ashe more than what has already been done. Ashe needed help now. Not revenge. If they were telling him this outright, chances were that they were lying to get under his skin for their amusement. No one would enjoy such abuse, especially not his Ashe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Answers. He needed answers.

The fire dispersed. He had learned basic fire magic for more domestic purposes initially, protecting Dimitri never even came to mind. Some of the kitchen appliances wouldn't work and there was no one around too often to help fix it. So he ended up learning how to conjure fire so he wouldn't need to wait any longer. It was... Unusual for him. But a blessing to be able to control fire however he wanted to help him cook and, he supposed, to protect his highness and his class.

He wanted to laugh at the patheticness. The first time he's ever wanted to use it on an enemy and he can't.

"Was there any other reason you asked for me?"

His voice had become cold, unwelcoming, setting his point across.

With a click of his teeth, Vayu shrugged, clearly miffed that Dedue didn't completely lose his cool. _"No, nothing else to note. Regardless of what you do, spend time with the queen will you? Reduce her stress and give her some flowers, if you don't want to mate, you don't want to mate. We won't force you... Not that we could anyway."_

"I will. Not for your sake. But for my team."

And without another word, Dedue left. He wasn't sure if he could deal with being near them any more than he already has. He needed to think on this for a while, plan the next move and try and talk to Byleth about what he's gathered.

Ashe will be saved.

...

_"Hmm... He's passed the basic tests at least. Quite kind, wasn't expecting the fire magic. I wasn't sure if it was wise to tell him so much about us since he will, without a doubt tell that blue-haired liar. But I'm willing to make some sacrifices."_

_"Shall we continue then?"_

_"We shall. Adria will be here eventually. Then we can finally leave this place."_

_"Was it wise to... Not, tell him about the more, delicate, parts of our breeding habits?"_

_"I implied some parts. Let's see if he figures them out before our queen decides he makes a pretty bearer."_

* * *

Days began to pass on the Wyvern Moon.

Unlike previous days that passed on just like others, the more recent days after the incident dragged on slower than a snail Dedue had felt. Time seemed slower, the classes felt like they took forever and never has he wished for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion to come so quickly. Perhaps the irritation was getting to him, everyone else was excited for the major event and he was the only one who didn't share the sentiment.

"We should fight not just for us, but for Ashe's sake." He remembers Dimitri attempt to cheer him up. "We'll make him proud."

Us and Ashe.

Almost as if Ashe wasn't apart of their class anymore. And in a way, he was right. Hell, even Lorenz, Dorothea, Linhardt and Raphael were now apart of the Blue Lions now. At this rate, the Golden Deer and Black Eagle houses would be forced to become a single group if their professor kept whisking away students like some monster that hid under a child's bed.

It didn't stop him from being bitter about it, however. He could never be angry at Dimitri.

Another day, another day.

Monotone. Teaching.

The professor looking into Ashe's situation even further with what Dedue told him.

The dreams didn't invade anymore.

Everything seemed fine.

Then, a certain event happened that would start the series of events that would change his life forever. On the 17th day of the Wyvern Moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally I always believed that Dedue would learn basic fire magic just to help with cooking.
> 
> EDIT: Note for all who are reading this, this fic is now on indefinite hiatus. Mainly due to personal life. Sorry about that.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do comment your thoughts. Really appreciate it.


End file.
